Sebastian Vettel Redeems Himself At Singapore Grand Prix At LeClerc's Expense

Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory during the Singapore Grand Prix since 2018, bringing an end to the short funk he had experienced during the past few races.

His win left teammate Charles LeClerc quite unhappy considering Ferrari changed strategy to pit Vettel first.

LeClerc was vocal about the decision saying it was not fair. He said he would discuss with the team following the race concerning tactics.

Vettel then held LeClerc at bay and controlled the race, which included three safety cars before crossing the checkered flag in first place, and LeClerc followed at a close second.

Ferrari explained the reason they pitted Vettel and not his teammate despite the fact LeClerc had pole position.

Team boss, Mattia Binotto revealed they did consider swapping the positions of the drivers back after the undercut which Vettel benefitted from stronger than expected.

Vettel was able to jump his teammate and Lewis Hamilton, who was then in second place when he was brought in on the 19th lap for fresh tires.

LeClerc pitted a lap later as Mercedes extended Hamilton’s stint to no avail. Vettel benefitted from a rare set of circumstances considering the new tires and jumped both rivals.

Binotto added that Max Verstappen was ready to stop, so they had to protect Vettel’s position. He claimed it was the best chance for Ferrari to try and pass Hamilton. Later on, they would have stopped LeClerc, and the pit crew would be available for him.

Ferrari stood by their decision to pit Vettel first as he drove very well going out on the new tires and managed to capitalize on the opportunity.

Binotto stated the undercut was stronger than they thought, and that was why Vettel finished ahead. It was 3.9 seconds, which was bigger than they expected.

When they stopped him, they believed, even if Charles stopped on the next lap, he would have remained ahead of Sebastian.

Binotto discussed with LeClerc’s agent Nicolas Todt, and he understood the driver’s frustration claiming he expected him to be furious. Binotto reiterated that was the right attitude a driver should have in that circumstance, but it was a matter of placing the team above the ambitions of the driver at the time.

Had LeClerc been pitted first, it may have placed Ferrari in a precarious position. Either Hamilton or Verstappen may have broken through to claim lead position which had proven quite hard to unseat in the race.